coordinated by the master terrorists in tehran. as one hezbollah field commander told a reporter recently, quote, the iranians want us to escalate, so we are escalating. the iranians control every bullet we have. the sworn enemies of the great satan and the little satan are emboldened, they're wreaking havoc on america and israel for pennies on the dollar. and they're working with russia, china and north korea to challenge the american-led order all around the world. just as core u.s. interests are at stake in russia's war in ukraine, they're at stake in the middle east as well. tomorrow, as on numerous occasions in our history, congress will hear from a close friend of america, on the front lines against this global effort to undermine the

american-led order. prime minister netanyahu deserves our attention and israel deserves a friend that lives up to the name. >> madam president, in recent weeks, the attention of the american people has been rapidly evolving campaign for the presidency issues, but while our national media and the focus has shifted it's important that we do not lose sight of the crisis in gaza where innocent people have suffered one calamity after another. also, in recent weeks, thousands of defenseless, homeless people sheltering in schools, including one located in an area reportedly designated by the israeli military as a humanitarian, have been targeted by the israeli military with missiles supplied by the united states.

regrettably, scores have been killed, hundreds have been wounded, but little is left of gaza's demolished hospitals have no capacity to properly treat injuries. children are particularly vulnerable in this conflict. thousands of children have been killed. thousands have sustained severe injuries that require surgery or advanced medical care and many suffer from other life threatening illnesses like cancer that are going completely untreated. in the past nine months, only 19 of these children have been allowed to leave gaza and that is shocking. today my colleagues and i sent a letter to the ambassadors of israel and egypt, calling on them to work together with the full cooperation of the united states so that these children can leave gaza and get the medical care they desperately need.

and i urge their governments to do that. gaza's children have paid far too high a price in this war. madam president, negotiations for a cease-fire between israel and hamas have been on again and off again. each time we hear of a possible breakthrough, one side or the other makes a new demand and then weeks pass without further words of progress and the suffering continues. i hope soon they will reach agreement on a cease-fire. in the meantime, it's hard to imagine the depth of misery suffered by the palestinian people and it's also hard to imagine the depth of misery suffered by the hostages, trapped underground for nine months, subject to constant psychological and physical abuse by their captors. madam president, i've spoken many times about the war in gaza. it was a war, in my view, poorly conceived with goals

that were nothing more than slogans, not unlike our own failed wars in iraq and afghanistan. prime minister netanyahu was warned not to repeat our mistakes, but instead of heeding that advice, he's pursued a scorched earth strategy that's destroyed gaza and killed tens of thousands of people who had absolutely nothing to do with the atrocities committed by hamas on october 7th. two million destitute home are homeless suffering from acute hunger and facing the real possibility of death at any moment. and mr. netanyahu, and i use this word intentionally, his extremist ministers have divided the israeli people, divided the american people and damaged israel's standing on the global stage. mr. netanyahu's war has been

carried with our war planes, our bombs, missiles and bullets. it's been carried out in a manner shockingly inconsistent with the principle of proportionality, a central element of international humanitarian law that is designed to protect the innocent. international law that israel and the united states are both bound to respect. the counter response that we hear is that because hamas fighters are in tunnels and use houses and buildings to carry out their attacks, anything is a legitimate target, even, apparently, if it means killing 50 palestinians wounding 100 in order to kill one hamas combatant. of course israel has a right to go after those involved in the october 7th attack, i support that. hamas mercilessly slaughtered

innocent israelis and must not escape punishment, but does not give israel the right to use weapons supplied by the united states to kill 30 times the number of innocent palestinians and though their lives are worth nothing. that's wrong. meanwhile, in the west bank, attacks against palestinian by israeli settlers, illegal israeli settlers have skyrocketed and hundreds killed. last week the international court of justice that israel's decades long occupation of the west bank violates international law and amounts to annexation. the court called on israel to cease new settlement activities which is also the policy of the united states and a call to end the occupation. madam president, as often happens, people's attention

fades or shifts to other priorities close to home, that's understandable. but that's also why it's important to remember, to remember that the bombs keep falling and an apalling number of people in gaza in a war that's gone on far, far too long. to remember this war, which the united states is complicit by providing these arms, was orchestrated by a prime minister who has no strategy, no strategy for peace between israelis and palestinians. a prime minister who has no vision for the future, who has acted deliberately to undercut u.s. policy at every turn and still he is invited here to this congress. i will not be attending prime minister netanyahu's address tomorrow, but i welcome a constructive discussion on how

to end this conflict and achieve lasting peace and security for israelis and palestinians. i'm not interested in participating in a political stunt. we, the united states, have a moral responsibility to do everything we can to help end this war and prevent further loss of innocent lives. that includes holding our allies and partners to the same standards that we expect of ourselves and the rest of the world. madam president, i yield back. >> mr. president. senator from vermont. >> i want to commend my fellow for his remarks and i wanted to say a few words on the same subject. madam president, tomorrow, wednesday, will be a unique

moment in congressional history. throughout the many years of our country, leaders from dozens of countries with all kind of political backgrounds and persuasions have been invited to address a joint session of congress. to the best of my knowledge, however, tomorrow will be unique in bringing prime minister netanyahu to address a joint meeting of congress, it will be the first time in american history that a war criminal has been given that honor. frankly, this invitation to netanyahu is a disgrace and something that we will look back on with regret. with this invitation, it will be impossible with a straight face for the united states to

lecture any country on earth about human rights and human dignity. madam president, as you well know, along with hamas leader sinwa and several others, prime minister netanyahu has been credibly accused of war crimes by the international criminal court, the icc. that court may soon issue arrest warrants for them. the case against -- the case against sinwa and his hamas accomplices are clear. they were organized of the horrific october 7th terrorist attack on israel that began this war and involved the mass murder of 1200 innocent men, women and children, the taking of hostages, and sexual violence. these war crimes are well

documented and very few people would dispute the merits of these charges. the icc's prosecutors charges against netanyahu are also well-founded. the charges focus on the starvation of civilians as the war, as well as intentional attacks against the civilian population. specifically the prosecutor says that netanyahu is responsible for, quote, depriving civilians of objects indespendsable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supplies as provided for under the geneva convention, end of quote. a separate u.n. independent inquiry, hamas and the israel military have committed war crimes since october 7th leading to widespread civilian

death. the commission said the israeli military's quote, intentional use of heavy weapons with large destructive capacity in density populated areas constitutes an intentional and direct attack on the civilian population, particularly affecting women and children, end of quote. madam president, i think we all agree that israel has a right to defend itself against the horrific hamas attack on october 7th. but netanyahu's extreme, right wing government has since that attack waged what amounts to a total war, a total war against the entire palestinian people making life unlivable in gaza and killing tens of thousands. these actions have trampled on international law, on american

law, and on basic human values. madam president, i understand that the mass media and many of us in congress have been preoccupied in recent weeks with the awful assassination attempt against former president trump and the changes at the top of the democratic presidential ticket. while all that is going on, it is absolutely irresponsible for us to turn our backs on one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern history. especially when that disaster has been aided and abetted by u.s. taxpayer dollars and weapons. in other words, it's not just the israeli government, it is us and our money and our weaponry as well. madam president, let us be clear, let us be very clear as to what is going on in gaza

right now. since this war began among a population of 2.2 million people, at least 39,000 palestinians have been killed and 89,000 injured. 60% of whom are women, children, or elderly people. most observers believe that the death toll is much higher because thousands of people remain buried under the mountains of rubble, their bodies have not yet been recovered. madam president, some 1.9 million people of a population of 2.2 million have been driven from their home. 90% of the population. take a deep breath, 90% of the population driven from their homes. the vast majority of these desperate and poor people have now been displaced not once,

not twice, but in some cases four or five times herded around like cattle. just yesterday, yesterday israel announced another evacuation order for units and 150,000 people were forced to flee on a moment's notice. just yesterday. madam president, when we talk about housing in gaza, it's not just that people have been displaced time and time again. more than 60% of gaza's housing has been damaged or destroyed, including 221,000 housing units that have been completely destroyed. where are these people going to go to if and when this war ever ends. with that housing destruction,

more than a million people remain permanently homeless, entire neighborhoods have been wiped out. today more than a million palestinians, almost half of the population of gaza are living in tents trying to find shelter, trying to find protection from the intense summer heat in that area. but madam president, it is not just the housing that has been destroyed. gaza's civilian infrastructure has also been devastated. water and sewage systems have been made inoperable, and the result, raw sewage is running through the streets of gaza, spreading disease, and there is very little clean water. many roads are impassable and there is virtually no electricity now in gaza.

but it's not just the housing that's been destroyed. not just the infrastructure that has been destroyed. madam president, gaza had 12 universities, schools of higher learning. every single one of those universities has been bombed. and 88% of all school buildings have been damaged. in other words, under mr. netanyahu's leadership, the entire educational system in gaza has been annihilated. in fact, 540 people have been killed while sheltering, sheltering in u.n. schools. but madam president, it's not just the housing that's been destroyed, not just the infrastructure of gaza that has been destroyed, not just the

educational system which has been destroyed. at a time when almost 90,000 people are dealing with war-related injuries in gaza, including many, many children have lost their arms and their legs, who are suffering all kinds of diseases, the health care system in gaza has been systematically obliterated. 21 of gaza's 36 hospitals are completely out of service and the remainder can only partially function. the world health organization has recorded more than one thousand attacks on health care facilities since october 7th. as a result, disease is spreading due to shortages of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. cases of hepatitis, dysentery and other infections are on the rise and cases of polio have

now been detected. now women struggle to breast-feed their newborns. formula is inaccessible and even when available cannot be used without reliable sources of clean water. for the signiest children and their mother suffer as well as a result. madam president, it's not just displacement of 1.9 million people. it's not just the mass destruction of housing. it's not just the obliteration of the infrastructure. it's not just the destruction of the educational system. it's not just the annihilation of the health care system in gaza that we are seeing. it is even worse than that. and i hoped that my colleagues

who attend mr. netanyahu's remarks on wednesday remember this as they rise time and time again to give him standing ovations, as a result of israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid, people in gaza are now starving to death. whenever people stand up and applaud, children, women, innocent people in gaza are now starving to death. according to the best available research drawing on leading experts from the u.n. and other aid organizations around the world, some 495,000 palestinians face starvation. these groups estimate that more than 50,000 children require treatment for acute malnutrition and are at risk of

starving to death, at least 30 documents, i suspect it's a lot higher number than that, have already starved to death. when you stand up and applaud that guy remember the starving children that he has created. even those who get the life saving care they need, the children, will carry the scars of this disaster for the rest of their lives. as every psychologist will tell you, a child's brain develops fastest in the first two years of life and childhood malnutrition has more cognitive and physical damage. that's what netanyahu is doing to the children of gaza. and i would ask my colleagues to stop for a moment and also think about the psychological damage this war has done to the children there. imagine being a child living with a constant buzzing of

drones above your head wondering whether those drones are going to rain fire and bullets onto your home. wondering if they might strike you at any moment. imagine being a little 5-year-old witnessing your relatives killed, your neighborhood destroyed. think about it being a 10-year-old going hungry, night after night, and searching around for water and for food to survive. think about being pushed from one place to another, not knowing where you'll be tomorrow, carrying your little belongings, your few belongings through the streets running with sewage and amid piles of rubble and trash. that is what mr. netanyahu, mr. netanyahu the man congress

is honoring tomorrow, has done to the children of gaza. according to the u.n. and virtually every humanitarian organization functioning in gaza, israel has intentionally blocked humanitarian aid, including food, water, and medical supplies from reaching the desperate people in gaza and let us be clear, there is no, no excuse for this. blocking humanitarian aid, killing aid workers and creating the conditions for starvation, these are not only acts of extreme cruelty, but they are clear violations of both u.s. and international law. they are war crimes. they are war crimes, and netanyahu heads the government that has enacted these policies. so tomorrow, madam president,

when netanyahu comes before congress, i hope that for one second the members who attend will focus just for a second on the starving children in gaza. i hope while they applaud that they will think about the hundreds of aid workers killed, the dozens of hospitals bombed, the housing destroyed, and the universities obliterated. madam president, when mr. netanyahu rises to speak tomorrow, i also hope that my colleagues remember that all of this death and destruction is not just the unfortunate byproduct of a brutal war. revenge and destruction are the explicit policy of netanyahu's extremist right wing government. two days into the war, two days

after october 7th, israeli defense minister gallant said, quote, this is a direct quote, i have ordered a complete siege on the gaza strip. there will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. we are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly, end of quote. and that is exactly how they have pursued this war. they define the palestinian people as human animals. and tragically, they have acted consistently with that view. madam president, let us remember and understand that the israel of today is not the israel of the past. it is now run by a right wing

extremist government. national security minister, the man who overseas the police, has long advocated for the forceable expulsion of palestinians from the region. finance minister, the man responsible for the occupied west bank, is also an extreme racist and has called for the expulsion of palestinians from the land. he has called for segregated hospital wards for jews and arabs because, quote, arabs are my enemies, end of quote, and that is the man who is in charge of the occupied west bank. and that is the current israeli finance minister as well. madam president, it should come

as no surprise that this extremist government, in addition to destroying gaza, has overseen record israeli settlements in the occupied west bank in violation of international law and commitments to the united states. israeli forces and vigilante settlers have killed more than 500 palestinians of the west bank since october 7th, including 131 children. just last week the international court of justice issued a ruling on the israeli occupation of the west bank. a panel of 15 accomplished judges from around the world confirmed what most of the world has long known, that occupation is illegal and must end. i know that there are some here in congress, not many, but some, who have condemned netanyahu and his extremist

government, but condemning netanyahu is not enough. we cannot condemn a prime minister who the icc considers to be a war criminal while at the same time continuing to provide his government with tens of billions of dollars in military aid. that is hypocrisy at its worst. just today, madam president, i'm happy to say that seven major trade unions here in the united states, including the association of flight attendants, the american postal workers union, the international union of painters, the national education association, the service employees international union, the united auto workers, and the united electrical workers, some of the largest unions in america representing some six million workers sent a

letter to president biden calling on him to immediately halt all military aid to israel and they are absolutely right. netanyahu is a right wing extremist and a war criminal who has devoted his career to killing the prospects of a two-state solution and lasting peace in the region. he should not be welcomed to the united states congress. on the contrary, his policies in gaza and the west bank should be roundly condemned and his right wing extremist government should not receive another nickel from u.s. taxpayers. thank you, madam president, and i yield the floor. >> the house will be in order. >> this year c-span celebrates

45 years of covering congress like no other. since 1979 we've been your primary source for capitol hill, providing balanced, unfiltered coverage of government, taking you to where the policies, debate and are decided all with the support of america's cable companies. c-span 45 years and counting, powered by cable. we take you live now to the u.s. capitol where the senate's ready to gavel in. today members are considering judicial and executive nominations. they're scheduled to recess at 11:45 a.m. eastern for weekly caucus meetings and to attend a joint meeting of congress for israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. ... the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer.